It would be disastrous to vote NDC — Bawumia

The running mate of the flag bearer of the New Patriotic Party (NPP), Dr Mahamadu Bawumia, has cautioned it would be disastrous for Ghanaians to vote back the National Democratic Congress (NDC) to power again.
He said comparing the economic and human rights record of both the NPP and the NDC, the former stood out as the better manager of the economy in the face of most turbulent local and world economic hardships and respector of human rights.
Dr Bawumia who was interacting with the youth from Ablekuma South and TESCON members from the Methodist University, Korle Bu Teaching Hospital and Regent University in Accra on Saturday said “today people can insult President J.A. Kufuor and nothing would happen to them, after that their pregnant wives would go to hospital and deliver free of charge”.
“With the current record of sound economic management, the NPP has demonstrated that it has the better ability and capacity to manage the oil revenue that would accrue to the nation, hence Ghanaians must vote for the NPP again”, he added.
He said prior to the assumption of office of the Kufuor Administration, the nation was using nearly 22 per cent of its total export revenue to service its debt and also had a Gross Domestic Product of $ 2.7 billion, while spending only 4.4 per cent of GDP on education.
He said following the prudent management of the economy and the wise decision by the NPP to opt for the HIPC initiative which resulted in the cancellation of its debt, the NPP was able to increase GDP from the $2.7 billion to a whopping $ 16 billion and was also able to multiply the total expenditure on education to 9.1 per cent of GDP.
Dr Bawumia said all these had been going on alongside unprecedented infrastructural development in education, health, roads and water facilities as well as other social services such as the School Feeding Programme, Free Bussing of Students, Capitation Grant, National Health Insurance Scheme and the National Youth Employment.
He said aside that the NPP government through its skilful economic management had been able to put the country in a position where it did not take instruction from the Bretton Woods institutions when drawing up its economic policies.
Dr Bawumia said for the first time in the 50-year history of this country, it had been able issue a sovereign bond in the international market which had been over subscribed, an indication of the confidence that the world of business had in the current Ghanaian economy.
He said the economy had been able to withstand an unprecedented oil price of $ 147 per barrel, yet the economy was still resilient, unlike the day of the NDC when the economy nearly collapsed when the prices did not even reach $ 50 per barrel.
He said President Kufuor had laid all these foundation for the Nana Addo Administration to execute its promise of building universities in all regions that had no public university, eliminate illiteracy and afford Ghanaians the opportunity to realise their individual dreams.
“Although the elimination of illiteracy is a big idea, it is possible under a Nana Akufo-Addo Administration, because we have the foundation. After all if we think it’s expensive to eliminate illiteracy, the alternative will be more expensive for the nation”, said Dr Bawumia.